The Cowboys hope to get their bases covered in free agency so they can focus on the best player available in the draft

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The Dallas Cowboys haven’t exactly made a big splash in free agency this offseason, but they believe they’re getting their bases covered in terms of needs ahead of the draft, which should free them up to focus on drafting the best player available rather than the best player at a given position of need.

“That’s always your objective,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett told the team’s official website. “You want to go into the draft as cleanly as you can in regards to your needs. You don’t want to be a team that’s sitting there saying, ‘Boy, we’ve got to take this guy because he plays this position.’ Free agency allows you to do that.”

The Cowboys shored up the backfield with the signing of Alfred Morris and landed a much-needed pass rusher in defensive end Benson Mayowa, but Mayowa wasn’t exactly their first choice of defensive end and they’ve struck out on at least three cornerbacks now, in Patrick Robinson, Leon Hall and Nolan Carroll.

Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged recently that the team could still draft based on position, but he believes they’ve done enough with the roster so they won’t have to.

“You could have some position preference really there in the draft,” Jones said. “Well, you might say, ‘It looks to me like you’re trying to fill a need right now, too.’ Well, those position preferences probably are areas of quarterback, pressure player and corner. You might go a position preference over one that's higher on the board. You might do that. But have you done enough with the roster here that you can pass on a player in especially those early rounds? The answer is yes.”